UAB's DeWayne McBride drafted by Minnesota Vikings in seventh round
DeWayne McBride made plenty of school history during his time with the UAB football program and he put one final highlight on that list Saturday afternoon as he embarks on the next step of his football career.
McBride became the first ever UAB running back to be selected in the NFL Draft. He was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 222nd overall pick in the seventh round.
During his final season with the Blazers, McBride garnered national attention by leading the country in rushing with 1,713 yards which set a new school record. McBride also set new UAB records with 19 rushing touchdowns, 10 100-yard games, three 200-yard games and five multi-rushing touchdowns games.
McBride was named as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. He became the second player in UAB history to earn the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, following quarterback Joe Webb who was also drafted by the Vikings in 2010.
In his career, McBride finished with 3,523 rushing yards to go with 36 touchdowns for the Blazers.
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The selection marked the third straight year UAB has had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft. It's just the second time in program history that has happened and first since UAB had a player drafted five consecutive years from 1998 to 2002.
Minnesota had the fifth lowest amount of rushing yards in the NFL last season, averaging less than 100 yards per game and just 4.1 yards per carry. Starting running back Dalvin Cook rushed for over 1,000 yards for the fourth straight year.